On the outskirts of the city was a large scrap yard filled with old abandoned spaceships that were burned and stripped
down. Inside the dismal place was a small pathway that led straight through the middle of the junk yard to an entrance to
an old bunker. It was built during the war between Earth and Mars, more than a hundred years ago. This was a perfect place
for the Neo Amera’s base of operation. Sleeping quietly in one of the bedrooms was Sara. She laid there peacefully in
comfort and oblivious to her recent events. The door to the room slowly opened and Mark came in to check on her and place
some water on a night stand, just in case she woke up. He knelt down to look at her closely as she slept. Mark couldn't imagine
what she had been through. Even though she killed those men without hesitation, Sara seemed so gentle as she laid there asleep.
Before he left to go to the communication room, Mark noticed that she shivered. He laid another blanket on top of her and
closed the door without locking the door. For that moment he had forgotten that she was dangerous.

After awhile, Sara opened her eyes for the second time. This time she was calmer and in control of herself, but
she was alone. She sat up on the bed and stretched. Sara stopped stretching and retracted her arms back realizing that something
wasn't right. At that point she became very dizzy,
"Wait a second, this isn't my room. Where? Where am I?"
Sara laid her head back down and stared at the light under the doorway. She tightly clenched the pillow, unfamiliar of her
surroundings. Sara closed her eyes, trying to convince herself that it all was just a dream. But as she opened her eyes, again
it was the same. She knew that her fears were the only thing that kept her away from the answers. She got out of the bed and
opened the door to the room. Unknown to her, when she opened the door, the metal started to warp. She twisted the metal handle
like it was soft clay. Cautiously, Sara surveyed her environment. Her eyes were still adjusting to the surroundings. She slowly
crept forward, feeling her way down the hall, "Hello is.. Please is there any body here?"As her eyes were cleared up,
she noticed movement in the light under a door across the room. She stumbled toward the door, until she heard some voices
from inside the room to a left of her. "Oww!
It is still giving me some problems, Alex."
"It looks like she did more damage than I thought. Lay back a bit, okay."
"Is this going to take long?"
Suddenly, the door opened and Sara walked into the room. Both Alex and Cindy stopped what they were doing. With their eyes
widened in fear, Sara started to come through the doorway. Cindy slid off the table and pushed Alex behind her to get in between
Sara and him. If Sara attacked them, Cindy wouldn't be able do anything about it, so she hoped that Sara was too weak to try.
Cindy still tried to bow up to Sara as she spoke with a firm voice, "Stay right there!"Alex placed his hand on Cindy's
shoulders, "Relax, Cindy. Its okay, I don't think she is being aggressive right now."
"What do you mean aggressive right now? What has happen to me? Who are you people?"

Alex observed that Sara became more confused. He gestured for Sara to sit down and she did. He offered her a blanket that
she wrapped around herself. "Cindy,
please get Mark and tell him she is awake."
Cindy whispered to Alex, "Are you going be all right?"
"Yes I'll be fine. Please let Mark know, that she is awake.
Cindy nodded, "Okay, I'll be right back."
Quickly Cindy went to get Mark, and Alex sat down right beside Sara as she clinched the blanket, "Please......... what is
going on?" "My name is
Alex and that was Cindy. We are friends, not enemies, so you're safe here."
Sara still tightly held the blanket as she looked around the room, wondering why she was not in her own home.
"Well okay, do you remember who you are?"
"Yes my name is Sara Jessica Bennett. I live in New Denmark in sector seven the suburbs zones."
Sara paused and then continued, "I remembered who I am. But how did I get here?"
Alex got up and leaned on the table in front of Sara, "This is the year 2275. You have been asleep for over a hundred years."
"A hundred years?" "Yes.. We found you in
cryogenic tube at an abandoned genetics lab Well, more like you found us."
Sara with a confused look as Alex continued, "It was in fact yesterday and you caught us by surprise."
"Surprise, you say? You’ve got to be kidding me. I wasn't in a cryogenic tube."
"I know this seems hard to swallow. But please understand we are trying to help."
"You said yesterday...That is impossible because I remember yesterday. It was."
She paused as a title wave of memories started to flood into her mind. Her last memories were at the moment of her being shot
from behind and falling to the ground. Sara closed her eyes and felt her chest where the bullets exited her body, "I..I was
shot." She became
quiet and thought how could this be and why would someone take all this away. She continued to say with a tear trickling down
her face, "You're also telling to me I have been asleep for a century."
"Yes, and more things have changed."
Unsure to believe Alex or not, Sara looked at her hands. She realized her hands were different, with a pinkish vermilion tint.
With a sad look on her face, Sara remembered that once she had a family, friends. Now all just memories,
"Why? Who did this to me? I had a career. I just got married."
"I don't know, but I want to help you,." said Alex, but Sara wasn't listening. She kept looking at her hands again, whispering
to herself, "I just got married," She balled her hands up so tight, they began to tremble until Alex placed his hand on her
forearm.

"Hey, I want to help."

She released her hands and sighed heavily. With a little sarcastic chuckle, she asked, "Then what am I?"
Mark was just about to walk in, and overheard what Sara just asked Alex. He came
in and replied to her question, "We believe that you are a weapon." "A
what?" Sara
nudged back a little bit as Mark came near her. Alex turned back to Sara as she had a nervous smile, "I am sorry, let me introduce
him. This is Mark Solmer, He is the leader of the Neo Ameras."
"Who?" "It is slang
for New Americans. We are freedom fighters for Mars Independence."
Sara frowned as she got up from Alex and backed away, "You're terrorists?"
"No, no, we don't use terrorist tactics. We're more political than anything else."
Sara turned her attention back to Mark and asked, "Why did you say that I was a weapon? Is that how you want to use me?" Mark
closed the door and calmly sat down, "No, in fact you were totally unexpected in our plans and I have no intention of using
you that way."
"Then how?" Sara
sat on the floor near the corner. Mark came over and sat right beside her, "You see, during the war a hundred years ago, there
were rumors that the Cyber-genetics Technology Corporation was building the ultimate fighter for Mars."
"And you think I am one of the fighters."
"Possibly, but I would like Alex to run some tests on you, to see if you're all right and not injured. But from what we saw,
my first guess would be yes."
Sara looked at her hands again. She squeezed and flex her arm. She watched her muscles flex and felt her arm's dexterity change
with the movement of the muscle, "I don't feel in pain or injured," said Sara as she flexed again. "Wow, it doesn't feel like
metal. It feels like more flesh and bones."Alex came over to Sara and gently touched her arm. Sara glanced at him with
a small grin. Alex become embarrass as he realized what he was doing. Cindy cleared her throat.
"I am sorry, but your body is amazing." said Alex as he blushed.
"Thanks, I think."
"I meant to say that your body is not a cyborg's body. When I felt your arm it felt like soft real skin. But yesterday it
was hard like metal.”
"So I am like a mood ring. My body can change its form according to my thinking and feelings."
Mark said, "Interesting concept, but it is probably more complex, I think."
Alex nodded his head, "I absolutely agree. I know it is hard to believe, but please, give us a chance to help."
Cindy wondered behind the table and rolled her eyes at Mark and Alex. They were like kids with a new toy. Alex noticed her leaving the group, "Cindy, could you please get some food for Sara?
I am sure she is very hungry."
"Sure Alex, whatever."
Cindy left the room to go to the kitchen, while Sara was still having trouble believing what he was saying about what she
was,

"What is in it for you?"
"Well, first thing let me explain. Sometime ago, Mars signed a peace treaty with Earth. It was more or less surrender. Mars
was under marshal law. The medicine we used and the amount of food we ate, as well as the assigned jobs were all under Earth's
control. Sure, we have some freedom. But Earth has control even over the children on Mars. Take me, for example, my parents
owed Earth taxes. I was only nine years old when the government placed me in a government-control home for boys. When I was
old enough, I was put in the military to help pay off my parents’ taxes. I never saw my parents again. As soon I got
out of the military, I found out that they had died, due to a mining accident on an outpost in the asteroid belt.

The Earth's government didn't care. But, I am not the only story. Huge corporations based on Earth own most of Mars. This
includes its lands and its resources. Land ownership was not given to regular citizens, only business."
Alex went to the kitchen to help Cindy, as Mark continued to talk with Sara.
"Hey Cindy, do you need any help?"
Cindy smiled at him, as she sliced some meat, "No, I got it, thanks."
Alex was about to go back but stopped. He saw Cindy standing there just looking at the sandwich with a worried look on her
face,
"What's wrong?"
"Can we really trust her?"
"We have to try, Cindy."
"But, why? She killed those men yesterday and she was going to kill us."
"Cindy look, you can't judge a person when she had no control over what she was doing."
Cindy crossed her arms, "That's right. What happens if she snaps again and tries to kill us? I don't think that I can protect
you, not from her. I know that she's new and interesting, but she appears to me to be a weapon destruction. I don't want you
to get hurt."
Alex sympathetically placed his hand on her cheek. She closed her eyes as he spoke, "Have some faith. I have a good feeling
about this."Cindy gently took hold of his hand and opened her eyes. She hesitantly said, "Well I don't, but if you have
faith in her, then I will help."
Alex took the plate of food and looked up at Cindy, "Thank you."

Cindy responded back with a smile and thought, "Yeah, I just hope that it won't bite us in the ass."

As they were walking back into the room, Alex and Cindy could hear Mark talking to Sara, "I created the Neo Amera for one
thing and that was for the truth. Mars should know about the truth and if that could help our chances for independence, I
will take a chance."
"And what is the truth?" asked Sara as she got up from the table.

"The truth, the truth is what I am trying find out. After so many years of Earth oppression, your kind was......”
"Please, stop saying my "kind." I am still human ok..."
"Sorry, I didn’t mean..”

“It’s fine, please go on.”

“After the war started, most of the mining companies went belly up due to Earth blockade. The military couldn't get
their supplies and because of that the colonies turned to the company that created the living metal project."
"And they turned us over, right?"
"Yeah. That is one of the main reasons why we lost the war. It was because of the CTC betraying the Mar's colonies. Most of
the files and records were destroyed. But what I was able to fine wasn't enough to get a clear picture on what happen. For
some reason, they turned on Mars. It was days before the person who discovered the living metal went missing. The Earth's
forces claimed to destroy all of your...........I mean the advance humans. You’re living proof that they were wrong.
What if we discover more like yourself out in these abandoned labs? Our government might have enough leverage to gain our
equal rights," replied Mark.
"To me, it sounds like you want to start another war." Mark shook his head and said, "No I don't want blood shed. But
I do not want the children of Mars to go through the same fate that I went through." "Again I ask you, what do you want
from me?"
We're confident that we can find more sites that possibly contain more like yourself. So what I am asking you is for your
help. It is your choice. If you want you can leave, and we won't stop you."

Mark paused because Sara was about to pass out. Because as much as she wanted to hear what he was trying to say, she
could barely keep her eyes open. Her body was still weak and all she wanted to do was go back to sleep.

"Are you okay, Sara?."

"Please take me back to the sleeping quarters. I need to think about it, but for now..."

"Okay, let me help you up."

As Alex and Cindy walked in the room Mark was alone, and they looked at each other in fear, "Relax you two," said Mark. "She
went back to her room."

"What happened Mark? Does she need any medical help?"

"No she was just tired, so I walked her back."

Alex placed the plate of food on the table and turned on the side computer. It showed Sara sleeping in a bed down the hallway.
Alex clicked on the monitoring program to record, "So Mark, what now?"

"Well first I need to talk with the other Neos. I am sure they will have a lot of questions for me, so just keep an eye on
her until I get back."

Cindy took the food to Sara’s room and placed it on the night stand. She sat away from the monitoring cameras so no
one could see her. She still couldn't believed that the person in that bed had over powered her. She kept on looking at her
as she slept. Cindy pointed her fingers like she was holding a gun and quietly said, "Bang. If that would have worked, I would
have done that back at the abandoned lab. Lucky for you, Alex wants you around......."

She sat back and closed her eyes.

"I guess I am over acting. But I promise if you do anything to harm Alex I will find a way to...........What the."

Cindy was interrupted by sparks that were coming from the cameras above her. She looked at Sara and noticed that rust was
forming around Sara's bed.

"What are you doing.? Damn."

She left the room and ran to Alex.

"Alex!" she said as she raced into the room.

"Yeah I know, Sara's body is active," said Alex as he checked Sara's vitals from the side panel computer. Cindy came over
to him and looked".

"Ah, that's it. Do you see Cindy?"

"Cindy looked over his shoulders and saw the data."

"Yeah, but what does it means."

"From what I can tell, she..... Well I mean her body is feeding."

"Feeding?"

"......"

"What Alex?

"From these readings, her body is too active to check her with this equipment. Let her sleep until her body’s activity
slows down."

A few hours went by, "Ah, Sara…..Sara…"

"…."

"Sorry for waking you, but…."

Sara opened her eyes and noticed Alex with monitoring equipment.

"What’s going on..... ahmm…."

“It’s Alex..”

“Yeah Alex, what are you doing?”

Alex turned on the light to reveal that the room was covered in rust especially around her bed.

"Did I do this?" she asked as she looked around the room and noticed the rust completely formed a circle around her.

"Amazing, isn’t it?"

"….. Not sure how to react."

"How do you feel right now?"

"Better I guess. Why are you asking?

"Your body fed off the alloy in the room. It’s like a emergence back up if you don’t….but I could be wrong."

“So you’re saying I am like a metal sucking vampire?”

"No,
no……I think so. But here, take this."

Alex gave Sara a candy ball, size of a jaw breaker.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“It is called an Alcloinde. It is like a modern day sugar cube, mainly for people who have glucose deficiency in their
blood."

“And this would help because..

“Well each ball has about 1000 calories because of the 21st and 22nd diet craze all of those diet
pill and supplements people took caused their children to have out of control metabolism rates that caused many children to
die.”

Sara licked the top of the ball and squished her noise at it, “Yuck…
its bitter.”

"Don’t worry, it won’t take long to get used of it. Here is some
food and water.

“Thanks, I guess I have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Much has changed after the war. Especially after the three headed aliens that tried to invade our solar system.”

“The what!?......You’re kidding, right?”

“I had you for a second….”

Just outside the room, Cindy was walking to the living room and overheard their conversation. She stopped and hid on the other
side of the room and thought, “Awe Alex, not those corny jokes of yours, not with her…. ”

Cindy peeked in to see what they were doing. Alex was checking Sara’s blood pressure.

“So Alex, do you have a girlfriend?”

Cindy’s heart started to beat quicker as she heard Sara ask Alex that question. Hoping that Alex would say that it was
her, she kept on listening as he replied back, “No, I guess not but since the recent events I haven’t given much
thought.”

Like a glass chandelier dropping from the ceiling and shattering into a million pieces, Cindy’s heart dropped. She thought,
“He doesn’t think that way with me….. Do I even have a chance now? Damn her…”

Cindy walked toward the living room. Sara looked back at the door and thought someone was there. She turned her attention
back to Alex and noticed him blushing a little bit.

“I’m sorry Alex, did I embarrassed you?…Or is there someone you thought of?”

“Not
at all. It’s your reading. I took before I woke you up.”

“Really, what does it say?”

“I’m not sure and that’s what is so amazing about it. All my life I had a thing about Alchemy…. If
it’s all right with you I would like to run more tests later today.”

“Sure, I would like to know what I have become…. Say Alex, would it be all right if I walked around?”

“ It’s fine, just please don’t leave this base.”

“Don’t worry Alex, I just wanted to see the news on the television”

“Oh, okay it’s down the hall to the left. Anyway, I have to finished the reading here before I do anything else.”

Sara walked out of the bedroom and proceeded to the living quarters. On the couch was Cindy trying to forget what Alex just
said when she noticed Sara coming.

“Oh great, here she comes. Please don’t sit down.. Please don’t sit…”

Sara sat right beside her.

“Hi, humm... Cindy, right?”

Cindy slowly looked at her and replied back, very unenthusiastically, “Yeah.”

“Hmm….Right, uh do you mind if I turn the channel to the news station?”

“Yes, I do mind. You do know that the media is controlled by the Earth’s military and..”

Alex overheard Cindy’s belligerent remarks to Sara and interrupted her, “Cindy can you help me for a second?”

Cindy flopped the remote control in front of Sara and got up.

“Whatever, I was bored with this anyway.”

“Uh thanks, I guess.”

Cindy
went over to Alex and they walked into the room. With a smile on her face she said, “What’s up?”

“Cindy, what’s wrong with you? I thought we agreed to give her a chance.”

With a blush on her face as she did not know that he was there behind them, “I am sorry Alex. It’s something about
her that just gets on my nerves.”

“You barely know her.”

“….I know what she could do.”

“Are you afraid that you’ll be replaced by her? You know I’m won’t abandon you.”

“Alex…..”

Cindy paused and tried to played it off, “No, no, not at all…..Look I’ll be more patience."

“Just remember we probably won’t get another chance like this. She could be the key of our independence.”

“All right Alex…….”

Oblivious to their interaction, Sara, curiously watched the tv as she ate the Alcloinde ball. From the news to the music,
nothing was the way it was. This alien culture that had risen when she was asleep didn’t make any sense. Even her favorite
sports had changed through the times.

“Lunar Ball , what the hell was that? What happened to good old Football?

Mark came into the room as she said that, and replied,

Not much after the war, football was changed to Lunar Ball to celebrate unity between the Earth and the colonies of Mars.”

“Oh, I think that they should have kept that the way it was. The use of antigravity seem like it had cheapened the sport."

“So Sara, did you think about what we talked about earlier?”

Sara turned off the tv and just before she could respond, Alex came in, “Hey Mark did you tell her about the Data disk
I found?”

"What disk?" "Alex
found a data disk from one of the CTC men you took out. We have found information and sites on more labs like the one we found
you in."
Sara's interest picked up and she asked, "So why didn't you say that in the first place if there's a possible way that people
like me in the same situation are out there? They might have the answers to my predicament. Beside I can't leave them behind.
They have as much the right to live as I do. But, if I do help you, there is one thing I would like to do if we could."

"Sure anything, what is it?"

"I need to say goodbye to my past."
Mark asked, "How do you want to proceed with this?"
"I want to find where my home was. I know due to the war, most of the city has been reconstructed...Even if it's been destroyed,
I need just to go there.."
"Okay... I know some people that work for the city, so I'll make some calls."
As Sara and Mark shook hands in acceptance, an enormous growl came from Sara's stomach. She blushed.

"Sorry, I guess I am still hungry."

“Hey” said Alex with two more of the Alcaline balls, “Don't forget these. They should help to calm you hunger,
but I have to go to work in a few minutes. When I get off work, maybe we should meet up at the place I told you about Mark.",
said Alex.

Mark looked at him with a puzzled look, "You want me to take her to a bar? I don't know. It seems too risky after all that
has happened." Hoping he wasn't serious about taking her to a bar, Cindy said, "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Alex."
All of the Neo looked at Sara as she licked the Alcainde ball and then to Alex,
"I am sure that Sara would like to see the city and to."Sara interrupted, "I'm sorry, but Alex is right, I would like
to get out of here and eat some real food. A bar would be fun and besides, I promise that I will be on my best behavior."
Mark looked at Alex nodding in agreement and Cindy shook her head behind Alex, hoping that Mark would get a clue, but he didn't
pay her any attention at that point. "Okay,
why not? A little break from things would be good. I can't make any calls now. A public pace like a bar/grill shouldn't be
too catastrophic." Cindy walked by Mark and sat right beside him, "Oh yeah, I can see this on the six o'clock news..."
Alex got up to get ready for work, while Mark went to make some calls. Cindy and Sara were alone. An uncomfortable silence
grew between them and they both looked at each other.

An uncomfortable paused continued between the two, until Alex came back and said, "Sorry that I can't come along right now,
I have to get to work for at least few hours."

"So Alex, where do you work?"
Cindy abruptly replied, "Oh, he works for CTC that's how we found you. He is our inside man."
"Yeah, I work in the research labs. But if we don't leave now, I'll be late.""Come on Alex, I'll get you there on time."

Mark
walked back in, after making the calls, and Alex said, "We'll catch up with you later tonight."
"It looks like it's just you and me, Sara," Mark commented.

In Marks' hands was some clothing for Sara, "Here, these are for you. I am not sure they will fit but these will have to do.
Also in the bathroom there is an assortment of shoes and boots. I am not sure of your foot size, but I think that something
in there would fit you."
"Thanks, I'll be right back.”
Sara went into the bathroom to change. In the bathroom was a long mirror. She put the clothes down on a table and turned around.
Sara flexed her triceps. She still couldn't believe that this was her body. She noticed that her skin was giving off a vermilion
glow with a tint of bluish pink and sarcastically said to herself, "Looks like I won't be getting a tan this year." She
turned to the side and raised her arm, and she flexed. Sara felt her arm again becoming hard like metal and thought, "I could
get use to this." With out realizing it she brushed up against a shelf behind her. Sara felt the metal of the shelf as
it started to warp. Sara bent down to look at it. She placed her hand on the shelf and wondered if she was doing this. She
said to herself,
"It's like I am a magnet or something."
As she touched the shelf, the metal started to melt and wrapped around her hand. Quickly she yanked her hand away. Sara was
getting a little bit nervous. She stood in front of the mirror and wondered, "Why did they do this to me?"
Sara quickly changed and walked out of the room. Mark was waiting for her and said, "Is everything all right?"
Sara replied, "Huh, yeah., everything is as fine as it
could be."
Sara followed Mark into the garage and quietly got into the two door vehicle with Mark. As they left for the city, she kept
looking at her right hand, wondering what else she could do with her new body.